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Thursday, 26 March 2015

My New Year's sewing resolution appears to be slowly but surely crumbling.... I was doing pretty well at using my sewing time to get on with my quilt and have managed to make quite a few squares. But I don't think I can only work on the quilt any more.

I'm being tempted away by 3 projects....

The first one goes back to one of the things I was doing last year, which is going through things that I've made in the past and figuring out why I don't wear them and then what I'm going to do about them.

So, may I introduce a faux suede jacket I made:

Why don't I wear it? Because I don't like the way it looks... it's too boxy and unflattering.

The back and side views aren't much better.

In its defence it does look like the picture on the pattern (Butterick 5269). I made view A, size 10 but with in-seam pockets rather than patch pockets. I bought the pattern in Glasgow, so that must date this make as being when I was at University in the mid-90s.

So, what's my plan? I'm going to (mostly) take it apart and try to make a motorcycle jacket instead. I have the Burda Silk Motorcycle jacket pattern and am hoping I have enough fabric from taking the jacket apart and from the little bit of leftovers I've found to be able to make it. The pattern's printed out and taped together, the size chosen and ease calculated, so next steps are adding the seam allowance and taking apart the horrible boxy jacket.

The second sewing project I'm being tempted away by is to make a phone belt pocket. I want a way to carry my phone without wearing out the pockets of my jeans and also when I wear something without pockets so I have somewhere to carry it without always needing to take a bag.

I've found this pattern which looks interesting, so I'd like to give it a whirl.

Thursday, 19 March 2015

I've been a bit of a slacker blogger of late - my excuse is that working on bigger projects doesn't make much blogging fodder, and I'm not one to just waffle on and ruminate about this and that for the sake of it.

Last week we took the kids and my sister-in-law skiing in Saas Fee. The kids did their first week of ski school, which they really enjoyed. David and his sister zoomed over the mountains as much as he was able. I don't ski (I've tried and failed and am not quite ready to try again yet), so apart from being chalet maid I sat in the sun and knit. The weather was great, and at times I had to go inside to knit. I did some of my City & Guild course and also knit a couple more spiral hats.

I've also been knitting a pair of socks, and finished the first sock while we were away. They're Kai Mei by Cookie A. The yarn I'm using is Merisock Hand Painted by Punta Yarns. As you can see from above it still needs blocking as they're a pretty freaky shape at the moment.

But they do fit. I love the way the lace work curls across the foot. This is the first pattern I've knit from Cookie A's sock innovation book, even though I've had the book for ages. I'll definitely be knitting some more.

I'm now on the look out for some cotton-rich sock yarn - I'd like to knit some little socks to go inside ballet flats but I'm sure normal wool-rich sock yarn will be far too warm.